Shellfish aquaculture and First Nations' sovereignty: The quest for sustainable development in contested sea space

Aquaculture tenures or leases have become an increasingly important management tool for regulating access rights to coastal and offshore marine habitat. Tenure, as a form of private property rights to marine space, is generally considered a prerequisite for aquaculture development, as are the associated exclusive access rights which provide necessary incentives for producers to invest in infrastructure. The shellfish industry in British Columbia (BC), Canada, is presented as a case study of a transition from a primarily common property wild fishery to a rights‐based system for aquaculture. In BC, seafood production has grown substantially during the past two decades as a result of aquaculture production. However, despite the inherent economic advantages of the tenuring system for increasing seafood production, rights to aquaculture sites in BC remain highly controversial, particularly in response to environmental concerns and infringements on Aboriginal territorial claims. Shellfish farming has, to‐date, been far less controversial than salmon farming; however, shellfish aquaculture has not been uniformly adopted across the province, and analyses of industry capacity or economic opportunities for coastal communities have failed to adequately explain development patterns. This paper, which identifies perceptions of the risks and benefits of the shellfish aquaculture tenuring system, presents the results of 56 interviews conducted with individuals involved in shellfish production in BC. Results indicate that heightened perceptions of risk about shellfish aquaculture tenuring are related to unresolved Aboriginal territorial claims, economic dependence on wild shellfish resources, as well as place‐based values favouring access to wild resources. Underlying values and cultural understandings also strongly shape public perceptions of the risks of aquaculture, and as such, influence local decisions to either accept or resist industry growth. In this case, interviewees' risk perceptions were found to be more important indicators of the potential for industry expansion than studies of capacity or economic cost‐benefit analyses.     

A multiscale hierarchical Markov transition matrix model for generating and analyzing thematic raster maps

A model is described for generating hierarchically scaled spatial pattern as represented in a thematic raster map. The model involves a series of Markov transition matrices, one for each level in the scaling hierarchy. In full generality, the model allows the transition matrices to be different at each level, potentially making available a large number of parameters for landscape characterization. The model is self-similar when the transition matrices are all equal. A method is presented for fitting the model to data that take the form of a single-resolution thematic raster map. Explicit analytic solutions are obtained for the fitted parameters. The fitting method is based on a relationship between the hierarchical transitions in the model and spatial transitions at varying distance scales in the data map, a categorical analogy of the geostatistical variogram.     

Preparation of controlled nano-MgO and investigation of its bactericidal properties

Nano-MgO is a good bactericide but with strong alkalinity in water due to its rapid hydrolysis. To control its hydrolysis rate and keep its bactericidal properties, we synthesized nano-MgO microspheres using chitosan-alginate system in this study. The synthesized nano-MgO release-controlled microspheres (nMgO-RCM) were with 0.98-1.20 mm of particle sizes. Also, their embedding ratio and loading percentage was 63.52% and 12.27%, respectively. Based on the characterization results, nano-MgO was only observed on surface of the nMgO-RCM. Its release rate from the nMgO-RCM could be controlled by the chitosan-alginate system, and the observed rate constant (k_obs) increased from 0.0289 h⁻¹ to 0.0358 h⁻¹ with the increment of the dosage from 10 mg L⁻¹ to 80 mg L⁻¹. Furthermore, the nMgO-RCM could maintain pH value lower than 8.5 and colony counts less than 20 CFU mL⁻¹ for at least 120 h.     

A Transactions Cost Approach to the Theoretical Foundations of Water Markets1

Abstract: Water marketing is often cited as a means of alleviating the stresses attached to allocation of water use. Frequently, marketing is suggested in a context that implies substitution of competitive markets for the allocation based on the prior appropriation doctrine. This study examines water marketing from the perspective of a transactions cost approach to the private and broad social agreements (contracts) that support water allocation. It examines the major behavioral challenges faced by any contract, and the alternative approaches to those challenges, with respect to water allocation. It also examines the impact of market design on the existence of externalities, costs imposed by transactions on society and individuals not party to the transaction. It finds that the most robust water market designs will be found in systems with sufficient property rights protection to support investment, sufficient hydrologic information to provide accurate analysis of third party effects, conjunctive management of surface and groundwater, and a governance structure capable of administering the rules while not determining outcomes.     

Evaluating the Predicted Local Extinction of a Once-Common Mouse

Abstract:  In an earlier paper ( Pergams & Nyberg 2001 ) we found that the proportion of the prairie deer mouse ( Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii ), among all local Peromyscus museum specimens collected in the Chicago region, had significantly declined over time. This proportion changed from about 50% before 1900 to <10% in the last 25 years. Based on this proportion a regression model predicted the local extinction of the prairie deer mouse in 2009. To evaluate that prediction, we estimated current deer mouse abundance by live trapping small mammals at 15 preserves in Cook and Lake counties, Illinois (USA) at which prairie deer mice had previously been caught or that still contained their preferred open habitat. In 1900 trap nights, 477 mammals were caught, including 251 white-footed mice ( P. leucopus ), but only one prairie deer mouse. The observed proportion of Peromyscus that were prairie deer mice, 0.4%, was even lower than the 4.5% predicted for 2000. Here we also introduce a simple, new community proportions model, which for any given geographic region compares the proportions of species recently caught with the proportions of species in museums. We compared proportions of seven species collected in Cook and Lake counties and examined by Hoffmeister (1989) with proportions of these species that we caught. Ten percent of the museum community was prairie deer mice, but only 0.2% of our catch was. The current local scarcity of the prairie deer mouse is consistent with the regression-based prediction of its eminent local extinction. More conservation attention should be paid to changes in relative abundance of once-common species.     

Differences in physical properties and CO2 gasification reactivity between coal char and petroleum coke

This paper mainly investigated the physical properties and gasification reactivity of coal char and petroleum coke, separately at the high temperature pyrolysis (950–1400 °C) with slow heating rate and pyrolysis pressure of the atmospheric pressure and at the pressurized pyrolysis (the atmospheric pressure to 3 MPa) with rapid heating rate and the pyrolysis temperature of 950 °C. Some significant differences in those between coal chars and petroleum coke were found. The high temperature pyrolysis caused more easily the graphitization of petroleum coke than that of coal char, especially in the higher temperature range. The increasing pyrolysis temperature resulted in the decrease of surface areas of coal char and the increase of surface areas of petroleum coke. As the pyrolysis pressure was elevated from the atmospheric pressure to 3 MPa, surface areas of petroleum coke initially increased and then decreased, while those of coal chars presented an opposite tendency. The increasing pyrolysis temperature was adverse to the gasification activity of coal chars and was favorable for the gasification activity of petroleum coke. Also, the effects of the pyrolysis pressure on the gasification activity of coal char and petroleum coke were significantly different. The gasification activity of petroleum coke was obviously lower than that of coal chars, and even lower than that of the natural graphite.     

醇酸清漆对典型装饰木材燃烧特性和生烟特性的影响

为了探讨醇酸清漆对典型装饰木材火灾危险性的影响,利用热重分析、差热分析、木垛法、隧道法和塑料烟密度仪对装饰木材的燃烧性能、热解特性和生烟特性进行了分析。结果表明,木材及其表面涂覆的醇酸清漆主要热失重发生在200~500℃,其中木材的热解过程为先吸热、后放热的过程,而醇酸清漆为吸热过程。与未涂覆清漆的木材相比,清漆使木材在燃烧过程中质量损失、有焰燃烧时间及火焰传播比值明显增加。同时,醇酸清漆的烯烃结构和苯环结构还导致木材的比光密度、质量光密度增大,烟气危害增大,从而进一步增大了火灾危险性。此外,装饰木材的生烟特性还受火焰条件和辐射功率的影响,高辐射功率和有焰条件下材料的比光密度和质量光密度均较低。     

超临界水气化处理对脱水污泥中重金属环境风险的影响

为探究超临界水气化前后脱水污泥中重金属的变化及生态风险,从重金属(Ni、Cu、Zn、Pb、Cr)的含量、化学形态分布及浸出毒性等多方面出发,利用地层累积指数(Igeo)、潜在生态风险指数(RI)和风险评估指数法(RAC)对江苏地区10种不同种脱水污泥超临界水气化前后重金属的环境生态风险进行综合评价.结果表明:不同污水厂脱水污泥经超临界水气化处理后,绝大部分污泥中重金属浸出毒性和生物可利用组分重金属含量明显降低,即处理后重金属的直接环境风险大大降低.不同重金属含量的脱水污泥经超临界水气化处理后,重金属环境污染程度及潜在生态风险程度显著降低,环境风险值被降至相对安全水平,对环境表现出低风险或无风险.p H值在一定程度上影响处理后污泥中重金属的环境风险.超临界处理时,污泥的p H呈现酸性时会引起反应釜腐蚀,从而导致固相残渣中Ni、Cr的生物可利用组分含量增加,当p H呈现碱性时则更利于重金属以稳定形态富集到固相产物中.     

南四湖南阳湖区河口与湖心沉积物重金属形态对比研究

湖泊河口区与湖心区沉积条件不同,沉积物重金属等内源污染物的分布亦可能存在较大区别.为比较河口区与湖心区沉积物重金属赋存形态的空间差异,利用柱状沉积物采样器在南四湖南阳湖区湖心和河口分别获取原位柱状沉积物,在比较分析沉积物孔隙度、有机质、粒度及典型重金属(Cu、Pb、Cd、Cr、Hg)各形态垂向分布特征的基础上,对其相关性进行分析,并对表层(0~4 cm)沉积物重金属污染程度及潜在生态风险进行评价.结果表明,除Cd外,河口区沉积物Cu、Pb、Cr、Hg含量较湖心区高,泗河为南阳湖区重金属污染物的来源之一,沉积物重金属各形态含量在垂向分布上规律性不明显,且均主要以残渣晶格结合态存在,5种重金属元素中,Hg残渣晶格结合态所占比重最小(约30%),具有较高的迁移性,存在相对较大的生态风险.地积累指数法和潜在生态危害指数法研究结果表明,河口区与湖心区表层沉积物均受Hg及Cd的污染较重,Pb、Cu、Cr污染较轻,潜在生态危害指数法所得污染级别较地积累指数法高.相关性分析表明,沉积物Cu、Pb、Cd、Cr、Hg总量、可交换态、有机物及硫化物结合态、残渣晶格结合态含量与沉积物孔隙度、有机质相关系数多为正值,同粒度相关系数多为负值,同碳酸盐结合态和铁锰氧化物结合态的相关系数各异,无明显规律.     

Food production in the city: (re)negotiating land,food and property

This paper addresses issues of access to land for food production in Toronto by offering fresh perspectives on urban agriculture in the neo-liberal city of the global north. It examines attempts to scale up urban agriculture that emphasise changing the relationships between land access, property and new collaborative relationships among different stakeholders. These initiatives involve renegotiating access to land for growing food between private property owners and landless growers, concomitant shifts in control over valued resources and commercialisation. These shifts are often based on relations of trust within a sharing economy rather than public battles over political decisions to develop urban agriculture lands. Growing food on private lands in the city is political in challenging taken-for-granted ideas and practices of property and urban agriculture. New approaches offer options for training and income, as well as expanding the land base for urban agriculture. Small-scale farming projects are affirmative political manoeuvres. They challenge urban residents to consider land for food production across the categories of public and private property. We document three approaches that challenge current property relations: temporary use of a development site through “soft” squatting; redesignating suburban backyards for farmer training and community-based and private food production; and garden sharing of private home backyards for urban food production and commercial growing. Such initiatives articulate alternative visions of sustainability and food security that rely on principles of collaboration and a sharing economy that challenge prevailing notions of property ownership and food security.